The View From Your Window Contest: Winner #171

It looks to me like the view of Holy Cross in Worchester, MA. I’ve never been to the campus, but the picture reminds me of what I’ve seen from the MA Pike when driving by.

Another:

I can’t fine the exact location, but this looks a lot like Charlottesville, Virginia. Tons of red brick.

Another:

Kansas City, MO? Took my first trip to Missouri this past June. The foliage and rolling hills sure bring that to mind.

Another:

Seattle, Washington? My guess is based on the Four Seasons Cleaners, with the coastline nearby.

Another:

It’s obviously the US, thanks to the RVs. All the Four Seasons Cleaners that came up on Bing were on the West Coast, except for one in Pittsburgh, so Pittsburgh it is.

Another:

Looking at the picture, I was immediately struck by how much it reminded me of the view from the hospital window when my twins were born 13 years ago. From there it was a simple matter of Googling “Four Seasons Cleaners” in the general vicinity. That was two hours wasted. Turns out I wasn’t even close.

By then I was invested, so I peered at the picture. I could make out that the “For Lease” sign on one of the buildings said “Martens Real Estate.” A quick Google search told me that Martens is a commercial real estate firm operating in Topeka and Wichita Kansas. They have their listings online, so it was a simple matter to go through their listings looking for a building that matched the one with the for lease sign. Finding nothing, I Googled “Four Seasons Cleaners” in Topeka and Wichita. Another two hours wasted.

However, for reasons that are known only to Google, searching for “four seasons dry cleaning Topeka” returned Four Seasons Dry Cleaning of Northwest Arkansas. They have three locations, and the first one is the one shown in this picture of Fayetteville. Google Street View showed me the Arvest sign on the building across the street, the Arvest website gave me the address: 75 N East Street. (Google Street View also told me it’s Mathias Real Estate, not Martens!)

Very close, but another reader gets the exact location:

Wow! I thought you guys were giving us an easy one this week with the name of a Four Seasons Cleaners in clear text. But do you know how many freaking Four Seasons Cleaners there are?

Lots! I tried all sorts of Google searches – cleaners near bakeries, near a “Bob’s Photography” (another clear text that resulted in NOTHING! (thanks a lot!)). Nada, zilch, zero, time wasted, etc.

Finally, I tried to see if there was a web site for the cleaners and sure enough, I found the store in Fayetteville! Yippee! The shot was from the Chancellor Hotel on 70 North East Ave in Fayetteville, Arkansas. A place I’ve never been to. The shot is from – and I’m sure it will be the tie breaker – the third or fourth floor. Well, if I don’t win this time, at least it counts as a close and correct entry for me, no?

Actually a correct entry is only counted towards future tiebreakers if the contest is difficult – specifically, a contest with 10 or fewer correct answers. This week there were hundreds of entries for The Chancellor. A reader send a view of the hotel:

Another reader:

The Chancellor Hotel has quite the history! Construction began in 1978, originally a Hilton Inn when construction was completed in 1981, and renamed as a Radison in 2001. The hotel has a long standing association with the University of Arkansas. It shares access with a pair of University facilities and is popular with visitors to the University. The Chancellor has survived several now failed hotel development projects in the area. The most recent renovation was in 2011, a massive update of the landmark building.

Another sends an aerial view of the area:

Another reader:

This view was taken from the 9th floor of The Chancellor Hotel in Fayetteville, AR, from a window facing north. I think this is my second time guessing but it’s the first time I’m really certain about the city and the hotel. Thank you to the source who gave us so generously The Four Seasons Cleaners. I came to the contest late this time because of Yom Kippur. Maybe you made it easier this week because you knew your Jewish readers would need a break. I appreciate it.

Another:

I can’t believe I almost missed this one because of a three-day weekend! I saw it when I got up this morning but forgot that today is Tuesday and was almost too late!

Any student from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville will instantly recognize the uneven towers of Old Main, the original building of the University. The easily recognizable buildings from campus easily put us East of the University. My first instinct was nearby Mount Sequoyah, but when I googled Four Seasons Cleaners or bob’s photography, I realized it was too far. Fortunately, street view made this one pretty easy once I got that far.

As a Fayetteville native, I’ve never stayed at the Chancellor Hotel (or in its former incarnations as the Radisson Hotel or the Cosmopolitan Hotel), but I’ve had to go for a few meetings in the past. I have no idea how other people can tell which floor or window, but I’ll guess it has to be one of the north-facing windows on about the 6th floor, probably the westernmost one.

It’s also worth noting that, luckily for everyone looking for this window, Google updated their images for Fayetteville in May this year. It might have been a bit trickier with the old images, which were more than a couple of years old.

Another:

The VFYW contest has been eerie in that a number of recent views have been of places where I misspent various parts of my youth. On the chance that the contest is a front for a round-up of miscreants with dubious travel patterns, I’ve dialed back participation. But since this view actually includes a former abode, hidden there among the trees just below the window, I felt compelled to at least throw in a howdy-do:

I doubt I have enough difficult solves to my credit to give me a win. And that cleaners sign will make this an easy one, beyond all the Arkies who’ll recognize the view immediately. For tie-breaking precision, I’ll take a guess and say this is the corner room on the fifth floor.

It’s actually the seventh floor – room 708 to be exact. No one guessed the correct room, but many guessed the correct floor. Only two of those readers have correctly gotten a view in the past without yet winning. One of those Correct Guessers has participated in eight total contests, but the following reader edges him out with ten:

You’ll probably receive a lot of correct guesses this week because the “Four Seasons Cleaners” is such an easy landmark for a Google search. Or perhaps your readership includes quite a few fans or alumni of the University of Arkansas. I have no local knowledge, so count me in the Google column.

The photo was taken from The Chancellor Hotel at 70 North East Avenue, Fayetteville Arkansas, looking northwest towards the University of Arkansas. I believe the photo was taken from westernmost window on the north side of the seventh floor. (The westernmost window would be farthest to the right as you look at the north face of the hotel.) I don’t know the room numbering system in the hotel, so I cannot guess the exact room.

I’ve had several correct guesses in the past, but have yet to win. Hope springs eternal that all of the better (or more prolific) guessers will eventually win their books and finally clear the way for me.